Empathy is being present with what is for another (or yourself). It is about holding space and allowing someone else to have their own experience while you support them in their process, without any urge to “fix” their problems.

Many of our conversations consists of each person taking turns talking about themselves without really listening to and understanding the other. We tend to “one-up” each other – if one person had a hard day, then the other had a harder day. If the other had a great night out the previous night, then we had an awesome night.

Non-Violent Communication (NVC) is a great tool to be more empathetic. NVC is a way of communicating to better understand how we and others feel in the present moment.Continue reading →

Happy New Year 2017 and greetings from Thailand! I am at the Tao Garden Health Resort and Spa where many Taoist and Tantric courses and treatments are offered. I am recharging here and now doing a short 3-day juice/soup fast, as well as different body massages and Chi Gong classes. I love being in nature and walking everywhere and now my creative juices are flowing!

Here is a new music video I just created here at Tao Garden, I hope this brings you a sense of peace and inspiration. I invite you to imagine the life you truly want – how you want to spend each day, who are the people around you, and where you spend most of your time. If you are not where you want to be right now then I encourage you to do one thing TODAY that will bring you closer to your ideal life – perhaps signing up for a fitness/yoga class this week, researching a longer course or travel destination you have been thinking of, or perhaps just turning off your tech devices and sit quietly and contemplate this upcoming year and beyond for 20-30 minutes.

Here is a new song and nature music video I created from my trip last year to Alaska. I went with my father and sister and we took an air tour of Mount Denali, which is the highest peak in North America and means “The High One” in the native Ahtna language. This song will appear in a different format on my new age/spiritual album I have been working on since 2001, obviously I am not in a big rush to finish it, so don’t get too excited… yet… 🙂

I want to let you know about an event this Friday October 3rd at 8:30pm at Bhakti Yoga Shala. I have wanted to do an event with Kirtan and Vedic Chanting for the first part, and Indian Classical Music for the second part for a while now. And by chance my music teacher Pandit Satish Vyas will be in town so he agreed to play the classical part, it will be a real treat to hear him in such an intimate setting. Details can be found here:

Greetings, and Happy Autumn to you. I have been on the east coast for the past 3 weeks or so, visiting friends, family, and ashrams, and spending time with my music guru Pandit Satish Vyas. The above picture is Ananda Ashram, about one hour outside New York City.

Moksha Festival

I would like to tell you about Moksha Festival, a two-day festival of Yoga, Health, Ayurveda, Sacred Music, and healthy food on Saturday and Sunday August 4th and 5th at The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica. On Saturday at 11:30 am, I will be performing a late morning santoor recital (Rāga Gujari Todi), accompanied by the T.J. Troy on tabla. If you are local to southern California or in the area, please come! There will be many amazing musicians, yoga classes, lectures, and workshops. Details can be found here:Continue reading →

Āyurveda originates from India and dates back to the Vedic times, at least 5000 years ago. Āyur means life, health, and/or longevity and veda means knowledge or wisdom – so Āyurveda means the knowledge of life/longevity. “It is an art of daily living that … offers a profound understanding of each person’s unique body, mind, and consciousness, which is the foundation of health and happiness”.1